Question:
"Regarding processed meats (ie: sausage, bacon, deli meat, jerky) I'm wondering how 'Paleo' she finds them to be in terms of weight/fat loss. I generally try to stay away from them, because of the salt content, but am wondering if I could start incorporating them more into my diet. As I look up more Paleo recipes, there seems to be a several which incorporate these foods (mostly sausage)... but they seem contrary to the paleo ethos of non-processing."
Answer:
Less processing is ALWAYS going to be better, as far as being non-paleo - it's kind of a gray area. My best guess is that the cavemen didn't have the luxury of sausage and bacon as we know it, but you can bet they ate the parts of the animal that these meats come from. From fat/weight loss and overall health standpoints I am going to encourage you to stick to lean (unless coming from grass-fed animals, which have higher Omega-3 levels), unprocessed meats. In the event that you do choose to have sausage, bacon or deli-meat choose organic, natural, nitrate free varieties and look for brands like Applegate Farms, etc. There are some really great venison sausages, chicken-apple sausages, etc. out there if you are willing to pay for them. When you start getting into the more fatty meats - like bacon, understand that you are trading a great deal of protein for fat - I would suggest not having bacon/sausage/deli meat on a daily bases, but rather limit it to a couple of times per week and really be mindful of the ingredients that are added to the meat (lots of them have sugar, corn syrup, etc.) Avoid packages that say "Jimmy Dean", "Oscar Mayer", etc. :o)
Let me know if this helps!!